Wizards of the Coast’s new adventure and campaign sourcebook, Tomb of Annihilation, is destined to be remembered as a classic D&D offering. The book  contains all the hallmarks of a memorable campaign. Epic and creative plot? Check. World-shaking consequences? Check. Dangerous settings? Most definitely. Memorable NPCs? Check. Diabolical villains? Oh yes! What else could a DM want?

In my opinion, the only thing Tomb of Annihilation lacks is a solid, easy-to-run foundational adventure that brings new first-level characters into the story smoothly and with a sense of direction and urgency. The background plot is certainly urgent, but there is no single thread a busy DM with no time to prepare introductory sessions can use to get the campaign started. Temple of Elemental Evil was all the richer thanks to the village of Hommlet and the ruined moathouse. Lost Mines of Phandelver benefited greatly by having a seminal opening lair like the Cragmaw Hideout goblin lair.

That is where I hope Return of the Lizard King fills a need. This product is designed to provide a go-to adventure for DMs who want to quickly get their players into the plot of Tomb of Annihilation with little fuss and only a few minutes of necessary preparation. The real meat of the Tomb of Annihilation adventure begins when the player characters reach 4th or 5th level. Return of the Lizard King is meant to not only give busy DMs a starting thread for an exciting story set in Chult, it also presents new player-facing content to scratch the itch of players or DMs who want that little taste of the exotic—such as new races, subclasses, or backgrounds—in their Chult campaigns.

From the Feywild to the jungles of Chult, the adventure doesn’t stop until you get to the climactic battle with the Lizard King – and then keeps going with player options for your Tomb of Annihilation game.